Liquor on private-store shelves by June

Bruce Beckett, head of government affairs for the Washington Restaurant Association, said the first bottles of liquor should be available for private sale by June.

Reading from a statement, he said, “this is a clear victory for Washington taxpayers and consumers.”

Beckett said voters were turned off by misleading ads by the initiative’s opponents that claimed privatization would create public-safety issues.

“I’m very proud we ran a factual campaign from the very beginning to the very end,” he said.

Proponents downplayed Costco’s massive cash infusion — a record setting $22 million — and instead credited what they said was a broad-based coalition of grocers and restaurant and bar owners that helped pass the measure.

About The Today File

The Today File is a general news blog featuring real-time coverage of Seattle and the Northwest. It is reported by the news staff of The Seattle Times and includes stories from The Associated Press and McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.